kilmainham gaol, a cemetery, and an update

We took a day trip to Dublin last week to go to Kilmainham Gaol first. This is a former prison (now museum) built in 1796. There was no segregation of prisoners; men, women, and even children were held here up to 5 per cell, with only a single candle for light and heat. They had to make the living conditions in the prison really poor, because there was so much dire poverty in Ireland that people were committing crimes just to be taken to prison to stay alive!

This was Countess Constance Markievicz's cell. She was one of many leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising (for Irish independence if you know anything about Irish history) who were held in this prison. Though she wasn't one of them because of her gender, fourteen men were executed at this prison. (I did a presentation on the Countess; I had to dress up as her and tell about my life and impact on Irish history.)

This is a newer wing of the prison, modeled after the Victorian style of Britain's prisons.

Another of the biggest leaders in Ireland for independence from Britain (perhaps most prominently known).

Execution yard

There was a section of the museum full of letters of prisoners' last letters to loved ones before execution. This letter reads, "Darling Grace, You will marry me and nobody else. I have been a damned fool and a blind imbecile but thank God I see. I love you and you only and will never love anyone else. Your lover, Joe." Joseph Plunkett and Grace Gifford married in Kilmainham Gaol's chapel, were together 10 minutes, then Joe was executed just days later.

Arbor Hill memorial - burial place of the 14 leaders of the Easter Rising executed in Kilmainham Gaol

Glasnevin Cemetery - This is the hugest cemetery I have ever seen. It went on and on and on. It's still being added to today. Many significant leaders in Irish history are buried here, including Michael Collins.

These are some of the famine statues in Dublin, depicting well the state of desperation, starvation, and despair the Irish were in during the Potato Famines.

From Irish Literature we jumped into another jam-packed week of lectures and projects, this time for Irish History and Contemporary Ireland, including biography presentations (in which I dressed as Countess Markievicz), formal debate projects over questions of Ireland historically and today, as well as a mock trial against the leaders of the Easter Rising. It was quite stressful but the projects were well-done and interesting!

This weekend I was on cooking crew (we all rotate through and take a turn). Me and my friend Kayleigh were the two girls of the group along with four guys -> a really good time! People said our weekend of meals was their favorite so far! It literally took all my time the whole weekend, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, learning more and more how much I love to cook and watch people enjoy it. I learned a lot about what it's like to make food in mass like that! It was the perfect weekend to do it, though, as it turned out, because I didn't have anything else I really needed to be working on... except Eire Band.

Eire Band is a mimicking of Taylor's Airband. Basically it was just a talent show complete with emcees and an after-party at our director's apartment. I sang "Falling Slowly" with our assistant director Zach Eastburn which is a beautiful duet from the musical we saw earlier this semester, Once. I also sang "On My Own" from Les Miserables (which you may or may not know I am still completely enamored with, even 4 months after the new one came out :). There were many other acts including dances, a monologue, and lots of music. It's amazing how much talent can be hidden away in such a small group! It was a really fun night full of laughs.

This week I can hardly believe it but I will be leaving for Edinburgh on Thursday. I also am realizing I need to start planning my 2 weeks of travels on mainland Europe for the end of the semester! Kayleigh and I are thinking Paris, Rome, possibly Prague, possibly Spain, and possibly Germany? It's very up-in-the-air still.

News on Turkey: 2 families are interested in me. I am supposed to receive their contact information within the week. Pray with me it will actually happen this time!!! It is becoming high time to get this figured out.

An answer to prayer: I'm moving to the new dorm at Taylor next year, but I'm moving with two friends who are living together so I have had no clue who I would room with. This is especially difficult since I'm her ein Ireland, completely disconnected from the group meeting together to discuss the new dorm and all of that... WELL, I have a roommate; her name is Val Schiller. This is actually another girl on my trip who was in the EXACT same situation as me; she's moving to the new dorm with two friends who are going to be roommates with each other. The fact that there are others moving to the new dorm on this trip alone is unusual, let alone that there would be a girl who is in the same situation as me, let alone a girl I could see myself living with, let alone a girl I could live with who is fine with being on the floor my friend is going to be PA on, even if her friends are on a different one!!! I literally couldn't have worked that out myself. God is SO very good!! He is incredible to me.

Thanks to all for all your prayers and for showing interest in all I'm up to! I love you all very very much!